Fourth Place
by Hatsareawesome
Summary: A look into the mind of a volunteer from an unlikely district.
1. Volunteer

**A/N: This was published on a friend's account before as All Because of Boredom, but I decided to rewrite it and post it on my own account.**

* * *

My name is Marissa Ellis. And I'm about to do something that most people would think is a terrible idea. I'm about to enter the 74th Hunger Games, as a volunteer. Why? Well, that answer is simple enough.

I'm bored.

Life in District 5 doesn't challenge me. I've had to make my own kind of fun for the past few years. I've been stealing from my neighbors. All of them. They never knew. When that got old, I began to pickpocket Peacekeepers. Sometimes I'd leave them notes in their pockets, or let them see me and try to chase me down. It was such a rush running from them.

But even that got boring after a while. A few months ago, I broke into the nearest power plant. Guards patrolling twenty-four hours a day. It took me about five hours, but I managed to cause a minor blackout in the Capitol. There was a pretty big uproar over that, and lots of people were interrogated. Most people ignore me, though, so my name never got brought up.

I'm certain I can outwit twenty-three teenagers. Once I win, if it's impressive enough, I'll get the choice to stay here in District 5, or move to the Capitol itself. I know which one I'd rather do. I like to think of this plan as my birthday present to myself.

So on the day of the reaping, our official escort Hector Trip is doing the ceremonial name drawing. He's old. I wonder how long he's going to keep doing this. Everyone gasps as usual when some twelve year old girl has her name drawn. She looks anemic. She'll never last and everyone knows it. I stand up and volunteer to take her place and everyone gets really quiet. I stand up on the stage and Hector tells everyone my name. No one applauds.

We're on the train to the Capitol. The other tribute, whose name I've already forgotten, is shaking like a leaf. Every once in a while, he'll glance in my direction, giving me a look that clearly says he thinks that I'm a lunatic. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.

After a little while, two more people join us. One is drunk. Very drunk. I don't have time to catch his name before he passes out and hits the floor. Of course, I do what comes naturally in that situation.

I'm rifling through his jacket pockets for valuables when the second person clears her throat loudly. She looks very amused, then introduces herself. Her name is Raven, and she's going to be my mentor. She's supposed to help me stay alive during the Games. After a few seconds, she tells the kid to leave for a minute while we talk.

It's a short conversation. She asks why I volunteered. I tell her I wanted a challenge, and she smiles at me. She looks up briefly to indicate the video cameras are watching us, and the rest of the ride is very quiet. She's clearly got something on her mind, though. Despite myself, I'm wondering what it is.

We arrive at the Capitol, and it's as bizarre as I'd always heard. Dyed fabrics, dyed hair, dyed skin... Everything is bright and colorful. It makes my skin crawl. When we pass through the crowd outside the train, I decide to get Raven a present. Sure, it was in someone's pocket, but I think Raven can use a new, gold-plated watch. I tell her it's a gift in advance for the stellar mentoring I'm sure she'll provide and she cracks up, then pockets it quickly. I'm liking her more and more.

I'd forgotten about the parade when I came up with this plan. I hate my prep team, I hate my stylist, and the costume has absolutely no movement capability. Plus, it looks terrible. The way my red hair is styled makes me look considerably younger. However, during the chariot ride, I look over to the left and notice one of the Peacekeepers from District 5. I smile and wave at him, and he remembers me. I can tell by how angry he looks. After that, I'm smiling the rest of the way up.

During one of my conversations with Raven, she tells me that in order to earn sponsors, I'm going to have to interview well with Caesar Flickerman, as well as impress the Game Makers to earn a high score.

Who needs sponsors, anyway? During my interview, I deliberately answer all of Caesar's questions with "Yes" and "No". I have fifteen minutes to show off for the Game Makers. I make sure to miss all of the targets and I get a score of 5, probably only because I know my plants backwards and forwards.

I've had my tracking device implanted, and Raven's come by to see me during the last few minutes before the Games begin. It's the first time we've had a chance to talk without surveillance, and she tells me her idea. It's a great idea. It's actually better than my original plan. She hands me a waterproof bag and I shove it down my shirt before I'm raised up to the arena.

The sunlight is bright, and the Cornucopia gleams. So much stuff. I won't be needing most of it. I have my eye on a small knife three feet away. Black. Sharp. It's time to go, and three seconds after the timer goes off, I'm off the plate, have the knife in my hand, and am running to the forest at top speed. I glance back and see that my district partner has already been taken out. Too bad for him.

That night, I'm having a look around. I spot two things of interest. There's a girl making a fire. At night. Not sure if she's suicidal or just dumb. Either way, she has a backpack behind her, and she never hears me come up and relieve her of it. I'm half a mile away when I hear her screaming, then silence. A cannon fires.

The next day, I'm enjoying some of the food from the girl's backpack and walking around, but I haven't seen or heard any sign of other tributes. I _have _heard the cannons go off a few times, though. Suddenly, I see a boy limping through the brush. His arms are full of bags and gear. I sneak up behind him and he doesn't even have the chance to draw a weapon before my knife is in his throat. I take a quick inventory. Food? Always useful. Rope? Could be good, and it's light enough to carry. Everything else? Waste of my time.

I'm just leaving his body when a silver parachute comes down. Looks like my efficient kill has impressed a sponsor. Rats. I open it, and there's a note from Raven, along with some flint. _Food isn't everything. Don't forget about the poisonous plants in the arena._ I hadn't, but now I know how she wants me to pull off my part of the plan. All I need is to find out when it happens now.

I'm looking at the biggest pile of food and gear since the Cornucopia. And it's all piled up just for me. Three tributes leave a fourth one to guard it. Something about this feels like a trap, though. I wait four hours in a tree for them to return from wherever they went, and when they do, I just barely catch the word "mines" on the wind. When they leave again, I run up, and I'm seeing the recently-dug spots in the ground. I do a little dance, hop around a few times, and I'm at the pile. I take what I need and I'm gone. I have to hold back laughing when I run away.

Twenty minutes later, I hear a big explosion. Someone probably stepped on one of those mines. But there's no cannon shot. Odd. But after a little while, one shot rings out. Later still, two shots ring out. Then a loudspeaker tells us that two tributes can win this game if they're from the same district. I wonder who they're trying to benefit with that one. I find out that night District 2 and District 12 still have both their tributes. Well, at least now I know who's going to be on teams.

There's a "feast" in the Cornucopia. Apparently something I need will be there. As far as I'm concerned, I don't need much of anything. I've been doing pretty well. But there might be a message from Raven with information I need. So, I'm the first one there, and the first one gone. After I'm gone with my bag, it occurs to me I could've easily stolen someone else's valuable item. Oh, well.

The only thing in the bag is fruit. An apple has an interesting message carved into it, though. _Tomorrow, midday._ I make sure to shield the words from the cameras, if they're even paying attention to me, then I take a bite to make them go away. Time to find the other tributes.

I've been following the District 12 pair for an hour and half. _Finally, _the girl goes off by herself, while the boy picks berries. I get a closer look at the bushes. Nightlock. Here's my chance. I go up, grab a handful of his berries when he's not paying attention, then disappear quickly. I'm a short distance away when I palm the contents of the packet Raven gave me. I have a berry in my hand, and I make a little show of popping it in my mouth. In reality, it's falling down my sleeve, and I'm swallowing a pill that Raven managed to get for me. It works fast. I'm out in less than a minute.

I wake up on the inside of the hovercraft that retrieves the bodies of fallen tributes. Raven's on board, and she's patching up my arm from where she cut out the tracking device. We've done it. The pill she gave me lowered my vital signs, and the cheap tracking device couldn't pick them up. In the eyes of the Capitol, I'm now dead. Raven is smiling calmly at me, and she informs me I owe her a lot for this one. I intend to repay her over time.

Later on that week, we're watching the recap of the Games on television. I see the victorious pair from District 12, and they're actually talking about me for a few minutes. I can't believe what the girl calls me. Such a childish nickname.

Foxface. My goodness.


	2. Night At The Museum

_ Three months since I escaped the arena._

_ Three months since I've been declared dead._

_ Three months since I've felt alive for the first time in years._

Raven's got a job for me tonight. Should be pretty simple. The Capitol has an official "Hall of Victors" in their museum. The Capitol citizens probably forget who won a few minutes after every Game and need a reminder. There's a statue of each Victor, holding whatever won their Games. I'm guessing there's more than one finely-sculpted granite statue gripping a bloody rock. Fortunately, that's not what I'm after. Nine years ago, Finnick Odair won his games with an expensive trident, given by an anonymous sponsor.

Very expensive. Very pretty. Pointy.

Raven knows a guy who'll trade a mini-hovercraft for it. Best part? Unlike the Capitol's hovercrafts, this one's been designed to be quiet. Very quiet. That appeals a lot to a girl like me.

So, I've been dropped behind the museum with a map of the inside, and I've been informed security is lousy. Even so, I'm a little unnerved. Something feels off about tonight. Or maybe the cheese I ate earlier is disagreeing with me. Hard to say.

I'm at the back door working on the lock, when a spotlight comes around forcing me to abandon it. I've got the first lock open, and there's only two more to go. The spotlight only comes around three more times before I get the door open. Good thing I'm patient.

So I'm inside the building, and it's the quietest place I've ever been. I can hear my own footsteps, and that's saying something. Fortunately, it's not that dark on the inside. I've been provided with some sort of stick containing glowing chemicals. Raven assured me that these things used to be all the rage hundreds of years ago for people my age.

Unfortunately, what worked a hundred years ago has lost its touch these days. I can barely read my map, and I'd have to be a real amateur to turn on one of the main lights. I remember from studying it on the way here that the library is to the left of the entrance. There should be something in there that'll help, and there's no windows. I doubt there's any video cameras in there, either. Nothing that the pampered, superficial Capitol citizens are reading would be of any interest to anyone.

I'm there, and I've checked my map with a lamp I've found. I'm about to go get what I came for, when I spot something that blows my mind. It's a map of Panem, but it's not the only thing on there for once. There's a big separation, but there's other places. We'd been told that the twelve districts and the Capitol are the only places that you can travel. I'm fascinated. I decide to pocket the map and see what Raven has to tell me about it later.

I was right. There are a lot of bloody rocks with these statues. I've noticed that there's no statue up of the two winners of the last Games. Although there is a bow laying on a pedestal. Not what I'm here for, though. I walk past a statue of a woman with diamond teeth that shine even in the dark, and I shiver involuntarily. Finally, I see it.

Finnick Odair. 65th Hunger Games winner. District 4. Wielder of the almighty trident.

Not anymore.

I'm halfway to the door carrying this thing and I hear an alarm buzzing. Doors are starting to slam from the ceiling. I'm just fast enough to slide under one, but some of my hair has been caught between the door and the floor. Good thing I've just grabbed something sharp. I give myself what I imagine is the worst haircut anyone in the Capitol's had for years, and practically fly out of the building. A few blocks away, Raven's waiting for me. She bursts out laughing when she sees me.

"I love what you've done with your hair, Foxface." she says with a smirk. She's been calling me that for the past three months, ever since she heard the girl from District 12 say it, and she knows I hate it. I can't help but smile anyway.


	3. Rescue

_Sir,  
Due to the high number of recent break-ins, and the rising criminal element in our fair Capitol, I'd like to propose a new system of securing the city. Please allow me to meet with you whenever it is convenient, so that we can end this new threat together._

_ - Aloysius Starkweather, Head of Peacekeepers, Capitol Division_

Looks like it's going to be a long night. The trade Raven arranged for Finnick Odair's trident got interrupted by a couple Peacekeepers, and she's been taken uptown to the Peacekeeper headquarters. They won't kill her, not a Hunger Games victor, but they might rough her up pretty badly during the interrogations. And of course, if she's interrogated, she might drop my name and the fact I'm still alive.

That's pretty high on my list of things I don't want to happen. It's right above having someone shove a note under our door telling me Raven's been picked up by Capitol thugs, but that's already happened tonight. Bad enough someone else already knows I'm living here in the Capitol, but at least they seem to be on my side. Still, after I figure out how to get Raven out, finding out the name of our helpful friend is something I'm going to have to do, whether he or she likes it or not.

I know they go through some routine questioning at the headquarters, but Raven told me a while back that for the unofficial interrogations, which sometimes involve lots of pain, they'll take prisoners to the prison way on the other side of town. They don't want the good citizens of the Capitol to hear the screams. Still, at least they get to live. Part of the privilege of living here, is that there actually is a prison. In District 5, if you get caught, you get a swift execution and your body is taken to the nearest power plant to provide electricity for the Capitol. Waste not, want not, they say.

So, I've been waiting on the roof of Peacekeeper Central, and it's cold out. A hovercraft landed in front of the building earlier, and there's always a bit of wind when one of those is around. After what feels like an hour of watching, I see them drag out Raven.

She's got a Peacekeeper on both sides of her supporting her, and she's limp. No marks on her that I can see, but they might've drugged her. Wouldn't be surprised. Seems like a lot of these Victors are pretty good fighters. It occurs to me that when I was visiting the museum recently that I didn't have time to see Raven's statue. If I survive tonight, I'll have to go look at it. I'm curious to how she won.

She's inside the hovercraft now, and I know what my plan is. Sort of. It's reckless, and dangerous. Of course, that's exactly why I'm doing it.

It's rising slowly, and I know I have to time this just right or else I'm not gonna make this jump. When it's halfway up the building, I go back to get a running start and dive. I land on top of the craft and scrabble for handholds. Once I find a bar on top of it, I'm hanging on as hard as I can. Once we're above the highest rooftop, there's a jolt as it accelerates, and I know my arms are gonna hurt in the morning.

It's probably a really great view of the Capitol from here, but it's dark right now. For the best, I suppose. Don't need to have reports coming from all around about the lunatic redhead taking a ride on the hovercraft roof.

Finally, we slow down and start our descent. Once we're on the ground, everyone gets out except the pilot, and I smile as a plan starts to come to mind. It's a plan that I have Raven to thank for, oddly enough. One of the first bits of advice she gave me after picking me up from the Games comes to mind.

_"So, Raven, how did you manage to arrange a hovercraft escape in the middle of the Games? How did no one suspect?" She smiled at me and continued her bandaging of the arm she'd just cut the tracker out of, and remains quiet for a minute, thinking.  
"Marissa. Do you know the difference between a good diversion and a great diversion?" I shake my head. No, I don't. But I want to know.  
"A good diversion is one that will distract who you're trying to distract. A great diversion will distract everyone_ _around you, and make them all completely forget you were even there for a while afterwards." She glanced at me, then continued on with her explanation. "I find that large explosions tend to fall under the category of 'great diversions'. The larger, the better." She laughed a little bit, and I grinned. "Of course, I'm a little biased." At that moment, I decided staying around Raven wouldn't be a bad plan._

After the last passenger lets the prison door close behind him, I swing down from the roof through the hovercraft doors. The pilot hears me and starts to swing around, but it's too late. I've already drawn my knife and put it to his throat.

"You want to live? Answer my questions. Does this thing have autopilot?"  
"Y-yes, it's right over here, on this-" A quick motion and he's gurgling the rest of his sentence. "Thank you." I quickly set it to fly where I want it to go, and jump out of there before it's risen too high.

I've found a pretty decent hiding space to watch what happens next. The craft has risen about half as high as it did on the way here, when the acceleration kicks in. Just like I planned, it slams into a nearby building as fast as it can.

There's a loud explosion. Hopefully Raven can hear it. If she can't, well, maybe she heard the dozens of alarms going off seconds afterwards. Peacekeepers are running out the door, and they all look panicked. Maybe they think there's another rebellion out here.

When no one's run outside for two minutes straight, I figure everyone who can be out here is already out. No sense waiting any longer. The front door is open, and I decide to just walk in. The place is practically abandoned, which is good. There _is_ a Peacekeeper sitting at the front desk, but after I've taken care of that little problem, it looks like I might be the only one in the building that's not in a cramped cell.

There's a map on the front desk, and I have to slide the corpse off of the edge of it to read it properly. Looks like there's four cell blocks. Cell Block A holds standard criminals. The ones that might be released someday. B holds suspected rebels. From what I can gather, D is completely empty. That's probably where they do the interrogations. C is lifers. There's a few key rings behind the desk, and I figure I might be able to use it. I have to pass through B to go to D anyway, so as I go through, I hand the keys through the bars and tell the prisoners there will never be a better time for a jailbreak. Half of them are outside in seconds, while the other half attempt to open every cell door in the building.

I find Raven slouched over a desk with handcuffs on her wrists. She's still passed out. Must've been a pretty strong dose to keep her down. I know my way around locks, and three minutes later, I'm dragging her out the door while the handcuffs are lying on the floor.

I'm about halfway through Block B and wishing Raven had taken my advice to go on a diet a little more seriously, when the prisoner I gave the first set of keys comes over and tosses her over his shoulder. We both run as fast as we can outside.

It's complete chaos. Peacekeepers are being attacked, buildings are on fire, and Raven was right. Absolutely no one is looking at me right now. I nod at him and he hands her back to me, and we go in opposite directions. She starts stirring at the first block away from the prison, and is walking with help by the fourth block. We stop in an alley to catch our breath, and she's looking at me with something like awe.

"I gotta tell you, Foxface-" she starts.  
"Marissa, please." I interrupt. "I just saved your life, Raven. Probably _several_ times! Can't you refrain from calling me that ridiculous name for just one night?"  
"No. But, that was quite impressive." She smiles and stretches, and we start the long walk home. Then she says something that makes it all worth it.  
"I'm going to get you a cake tomorrow." Raven knows how much I love the Capitol's cake, and I can't wait till the morning now.


	4. Life of the Party

_Albert Westfield,_  
_ Congratulations on your promotion to Head Peacekeeper. It's unfortunate to have to replace the late Aloysius Starkweather at this time, but the tragic accident that occurred a week ago made it a necessity. After last month's incident at the prison, I believe you are the best person to restore order to the Capitol. I trust you will not fail me._

_ -Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem, private correspondence._

"No, you need to look more downcast. Like you live in constant terror. Try not to make eye contact with me like that." Raven says. I'm doing my best, but looking scared of everything is something I'm not so good at. She sighs. "Take a break. We need to go over the floor plans again."

Twenty minutes later, my head is aching, and Raven's done trying to quiz me on the maps she's made. Ever since Raven got the invite in the mail, we've been practicing and studying non-stop.

Caesar Flickerman's having a birthday party in three days. Raven, having chosen architecture as her Capitol talent, actually designed his mansion a few years back. She won't tell me how many years it's been, but that's the job that landed her the right to live in the Capitol instead of being tossed back into District 5. Anyway, that, as well as being a Victor, managed to get her on his invite list, and she saw an opportunity.

I'm going too, of course. Capitol parties are always well-stocked with Avoxes, so that'll be my disguise. Additonally, Raven tells me nearly every Avox is redheaded, either naturally or because the Capitol dyes hair compulsively. It's considered a big social gaffe to talk to one in public, unless you're giving them an order, which is making this plan sound better and better to me.

The plan is simple enough. Raven and I are going to walk in through the front door. If anyone asks, I'm her personal servant. She'll loudly instruct me to take Caesar's birthday gift to the backroom, and afterwards I'm to spend the rest of the night in the kitchens. However, I'm not going to make it to the kitchens. I'm going to try to sneak upstairs and go through Caesar's office. Maybe I'll find something useful.

Hopefully it'll be more useful than the information Raven managed to get about our unknown, note-passing friend. It's been a month ago and she's been searching every lead she can. The only thing she got out of it after three weeks of effort was Caesar's name. This could still be a wild goose chase, but if it is, I'm going to pick up something shiny for me on the way out.

But first, another three days of Raven training me to act like an Avox convincingly. I can't wait till this is over. I'll sleep for a week. At least I don't have to remember any lines.

* * *

It's the day of the party. I'm in my red Avox uniform, and Raven's given me a haircut, as well as pulled it back. Very different than my interview look last year. In the event that I come face to face with Caesar himself, I don't want him to remember me. I did my best to be forgettable during the Games interview, but you never know. He seems sharper than the average Capitol civilian.

It's a long ride over to the mansion. It's snowing out, and the Avox uniforms don't seem to be designed to hold warmth. I have a feeling it's deliberate. The Capitol probably wants the former rebels to know that their lives are going to be miserable for a very long time. Raven doesn't speak to me the entire way over. I know she's playing a part, but it makes the night feel much different. Instead, she's chatting away with the other passengers about the upcoming party, and how thrilled she was to be on the list.

Say what you will about Raven, but she knows how to talk to Capitol people. She's got them all hanging on her every word about twenty minutes in, and she gives me the briefest glance during one of her stories and suddenly I understand. She's deliberately drawing everyone's attention to herself so that none of them will take a closer look at me. It's unlikely they'd recognize me in this outfit, but I did come in fourth in the Games. _Good idea, Raven._

She's just getting into a story about her own Games when we arrive. Even I'm interested in this one, but she cuts it off once we've been let out of the car. She smiles at everyone and promises to finish telling them about it later that night, and I feel like the only thing that could make these people happier tonight is if they got to share a car with Finnick Odair on the way back. And the party hasn't even started.

It's a short walk up to the mansion from there, and my feet are getting colder by the second. There's a guard at the door, and he gives us a look, but Raven produces her invite and mentions I'm there to help out in the kitchens, and he doesn't give me a second glance. He waves her in, making sure not to make eye contact with me.

"Now, leave this in the third room up the hall, no, the one over there, then take the second left and you'll be in the kitchens. I'll send someone to get you when it's time to leave. Do you understand?" Raven instructs me. I nod, trying to look as meek and scared as I can. Of course, Raven's already drilled the layout of the building into me, and I'm wearing a two-way wrist buzzer under my sleeve, just in case one of us needs to signal the other when it's really time to go. But, since this is for the benefit of everyone else around me, we have to make it convincing. I start to walk away and she's already joined the party.

I'm noticing an interesting pattern about twenty feet up the hall. There's a large, wall-sized mirror in every room I've passed so far. Either Caesar is the vainest guy in the world, or else he's got eyes throughout his whole house. I guess when you're rich, you can afford to go either way, but I don't like this at all.

Third room up the hall. Caesar's got some rich friends. The whole room is stacked with extravagantly wrapped boxes, in varying sizes, and Raven's gift looks like it might vanish if I put it down in here. The upside is that Caesar's giant mirror in this room is almost completely covered, and I feel like I'm being watched a little less. Either way, after I get into his office, I'm going to give her the signal and get out of here. I put the little box on top of another one that's wrapped in a green cover, and move out.

I walk past the first left turn in the hallway. It seems to go on for a while, but then there's the second left. I walk past it too, and the staircase is right after it. Moving as fast as I can, I'm up the stairs, and the sounds of the party gradually are disappearing. It's utter silence now.

I see a room with more books than even the museum had, and I'm amazed at it. I wonder if he's read them all. It could just be for show, just like the rest of the Capitol. It's not what I'm looking for, though, so I tear myself away from it and check the next room I see.

It's got a desk covered with papers. Folders everywhere. This must be his office. Best place to start my search, I suppose. And it's missing the large mirrors, which strikes me as unusual.

I'm checking the drawers on his desk when I notice something about the folder in front of me. It's got a familiar name on it. _Ellis, Marissa, _it reads, and suddenly I'm worried. I flip through it. There are several pictures of me, both in the Games and out of them, transcripts of my interview, along with interviews from my neighbors and family. I wasn't close with any of them, so the information here is limited, but I'm pretty sure Caesar's at least suspecting something.

"Hello, Marissa." I hear from behind me. I turn around, not sure who I'm expecting to see. When I finally spot where the voice came from, it takes a lot of willpower to keep from showing my surprise. Oh, yeah, he definitely suspects.

Caesar Flickerman is watching me, and he's got a gun trained on me.

* * *

Caesar Flickerman's sitting in a fancy armchair smiling at me winningly, and for a second I almost think he's done all this just to interview me again. I'm running for the door before he says another word, but it's locked behind me.

"Marissa, calm down. All I want to do is talk to you. Raven's safe. Trust me." I hadn't even considered that he might have her somewhere, but if he does...

I sit across from him. "That's better. Now... You're obviously still alive. Care to explain how you got out of the Games?" I shake my head. "No? All right. That's not really why I want you here anyway." He pauses. Watches me intently for a second. The friendly game show host is gone, and in his place is someone who actually scares me for once. "Finnick Odair's trident. You took it." Not a question. He knows. He continues, "shortly after that, Raven was arrested for trying to trade it. You received a note. Rescued her." Yes, I already know that. I'm wondering where he's going with this. "After that, Raven had all charges mysteriously dropped. Unusual, I'm sure." Yes, I'd questioned her about that a few times, but she had no idea what happened.

"Now, here's the important question. Where's the trident now?"

"Good question. Why don't you ask the Peacekeepers?" He almost smiles at me. Then it's gone. "Don't play games with me, Marissa. It won't end well. I know you don't have it. I know the Peacekeepers don't have it. I also know that my men she intended to trade it to that night don't have it. Someone else has it. And Marissa, the last thing I want right now is competition."

"Competition?" The pieces are coming together slowly.

"Yes, competition. The Capitol will never fully remove the criminal element from Panem. You and I are living proof of that. However, that element can be controlled. For the most part." He sighs. "This is where you come in, Marissa. I don't care that you're an independent. That doesn't matter to me. The fact that you escaped the Capitol and faked your own death impressed me, and I always like a good show. I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" I feel stupid just repeating what he says, but I don't know what to say. I'm stunned right now. "What is it?"

"I want you to find out the name of the person who took the trident during the trade. Find out where it is now. That's all. I'll take care of the rest." Hmm. Doesn't sound too hard...

"What's in it for me?" I ask before I can stop myself. Caesar actually does laugh this time. Then he's serious again.

"Here's the deal. You're subtle. My men don't have subtlety. If I send them out to find out who this is, there's going to be a bloodbath. They'll simply question anyone and everyone they can think of that may have been there that night, and they might ask hard. It could get tied back to me. No, I need you. So I'm not going to tell you I'll have you killed. Raven, either. As long as you get this job done, you're both safe."

He reaches behind his chair and pulls out a notebook. "In fact, I don't know if you've been paying attention, Marissa, but this year is the Quarter Quell."

I keep silent and wait for him to get to the point.

"It so happens, since Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have upset the President, that the Quarter Quell is arranged this year specifically to get them back in it. Let me see..." He opens the notebook to somewhere in the middle and flips around, then stops. "Let's see... This is what's going to be announced in two weeks. 'On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder, blah blah, tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors'".

He lets that sink in for a minute. "Now, as we both know, your friend Raven is in this pool. Do the job, and I'll make sure her name is out of the drawing for good. That's my offer. Take it or leave it." He leans back in his chair and lowers the gun. "Oh, I should tell you... there's only one other female victor from District 5."

I think quickly. One other. Two names in the drawing. No one to volunteer for her. I can't let Raven go back there. She'd never last against twenty-three other victors.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice, then." He pushes a button on the wall next to him, and the door swings open. As I'm stepping out, I turn back for a second. "Happy birthday, Caesar", I hear myself saying.

I close the door and I'm buzzing Raven as fast as I can. She meets me at the front door after ten minutes and doesn't look at me. She's shaking hands, smiling, hugging people, and finally we're out the door.

Somehow, the ride home feels longer than before. Much longer.


	5. Late Night, Early Afternoon

_PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:_

_By order of President Snow,_

_For the safety of the Capitol's civilians, a curfew has been established. Anyone found outside after 8:00 is subject to arrest, interrogation, and indefinite detention. Also, Peacekeeper patrols, as well as security cameras, have doubled in number. Please remember to cooperate with all officers._

_ Albert Westfield, Head of Peacekeepers, Capitol Division_

"Raven! Good to see you again! Haven't had you in here for a while. How can I help you today?" Willy McKenna is bursting with enthusiasm when he sees Raven. He practically runs out from behind the counter to greet her.

He's a little less happy to see me. I'm in my Avox outfit again, which means everyone's shunning me and avoiding looking at me. And of course, he doesn't want me in his store. He doesn't say as much, but it's been obvious from the first moment I set foot inside the building.

Willy's Spirits is one of the last places in the city that the Peacekeepers haven't covered in cameras. Yet. Funny, really. Before I showed up, the Capitol really didn't seem to care about what its citizens did. Not like District 5. Mostly the cameras in the Capitol were there to record every second of the tributes entering, sleeping, and training. Not anymore, though. Now I can barely walk outside our apartment without being in disguise.

We're here because Willy, in addition to being Raven's go-to guy for hocking some of the smaller items I've brought in, happens to be quite good at finding video recordings. The night Raven tried to trade the trident, she was in the basement of the bar two buildings over. Willy might even be able to get us a few different angles of the night it all went down. If we're really lucky, maybe there'll even be some faces to check out.

Of course, when Raven brings it up to him, he plays dumb until she produces the gold-plated watch I gave her when we first met. He examines it carefully, then goes to the backroom for several minutes. When he returns, he's carrying three large bags containing tapes. Raven and I look at each other, then she purchases a bottle of Willy's cheapest. Neither of us really want to sit through this.

Six hours later, Raven's fallen asleep on my shoulder, and I'm feeling pretty sick of watching the screen. Willy's tapes are only ten minutes long each, and of course he didn't label the times, just the day. Another tape goes by without Raven, a trident, or Peacekeepers on it. I take it out of the player and fling it into the ever-growing pile of useless films. Time for the next one.

Another hour goes by, and I think I've finally found something. Or at least we've gotten to the point where Raven is in the building. I see her walk in with a bag. There's no sound, unfortunately, but the picture is clear. She walks in, sits in the darker section, and waits.

And waits. I wish the player Raven owns had the option to speed ahead, but that's a pretty expensive addition. Finally, after what feels like forever, someone walks up to her and sits down. She's set the bag down under the table, almost out of sight, unless you're looking for it.

Then the tape stops. I'm tempted to wake her up, but we haven't really found anything that she couldn't tell me already. I pop in the next tape and reach for my mug. Oddly enough, since I started living here, Raven's love of coffee has started to rub off on me.

Two tapes later, the Peacekeepers interrupt Raven's meeting. They shoot Raven with a dart, along with the man Caesar claimed worked for him. So far, nothing unusual. Except that they leave the trident under the table.

Why would they do that? After going through all the trouble to bust someone for making an illegal trade, why ignore the actual evidence of the trade itself? Unless they're just doing it to get her out of the way for a few minutes while the real pickup happens... Looks like some of the Peacekeepers might be working with someone else.

Sure enough, another tape and a half later, a tall blonde man comes over and picks up the bag and exits the bar. I stop the player, timing it as well as I can. We've got a face. I sigh and lean back, and Raven almost falls off the couch. Then she's awake, looking as tired as I've ever seen her.

"Know who that is?" I ask. She doesn't respond at first. Instead, she reaches over for my coffee mug and drains the rest of it, then shakes her head a few times. "No idea." she mutters, then stands up and refills it. "I know how we can find out, though."

"Wow, I didn't know you could do that. I thought you just did building design." I'm surprised at how accurate her drawing is after forty minutes. No one will have any trouble recognizing him if they know him. "_That_ is what I do for work," she gestures at the half-finished blueprints on the table, " and thisis what I do for fun," Raven smiles as she indicates the drawing. "Capitol doesn't have to know about _all _of my skills." She yawns.

"Get some sleep, Raven. We have a big day tomorr-" I roll my eyes and just barely catch her before she passes out on her drawing. Good grief. Sometimes the fact that she lived alone for as long as she did really surprises me.

* * *

It's a chilly day, and we're on our way back to Willy's. We walk in, and the store's completely empty except for the three of us. Raven drops the picture on the counter in front of Willy, and he stares at it for a few minutes. Then he says he might know who it is, but we'll have to cough up. Of course. We're out of things to trade him, but Willy makes a suggestion that works out perfectly for everyone.

An hour later, we're leaving, and Willy is thanking Raven over and over for the portrait she drew of him. He framed it immediately, and as we're walking out the door, I look back and catch a glimpse of him hanging it on the wall behind the counter. Capitol people. Who understands them?

We've got a name and an address. Quinton Forest. He doesn't live too far away from us, but I want to make sure he's not going anywhere before I tell Caesar about him. If I'm wrong, all he'll need to do is have an "anonymous news report" come in announcing that I'm alive and well. Nothing like working for a television personality.

I've been keeping my eyes open, and I've noticed something interesting. Yes, there are video cameras spreading through the Capitol. Yes, they are on the roofs as well as everywhere else. Funny thing, though. They're all just pointing at the streets. As long as I stay up top, I should be fine. So, that night, I roof-hop my way over there, and check the address again.

Looks like I'm at Forest's place. It's a small area, which is both good and bad. Bad, because I might have to drop down and possibly get spotted by a camera. The good part is that at least I won't have to search long to find him. There's only three homes in the whole place that even look like they've been occupied.

I'm still on the rooftops, trying to decide the best way to get each person to open their front door, when I see a flash of blonde hair through one of the windows. I duck down on the roof as quickly as possible, but Forest is peering out. He shakes his head after a minute, probably convinced he imagined whatever it was he thinks he saw. He closes the curtains. I see the light shut off. Well, at least now I know. Time to get out of here.

Back home, I tell Raven about my night. We decide to go see Caesar again as early as possible tomorrow. I want this job to be over with already.

* * *

The next morning, I wake up late, and Raven's looking through the house for something. All through the house. Before I manage to drag myself off the couch, I've seen her check above the windowsill, under the table, and on top the door frame. She notices I'm awake and makes a gesture for silence, then points at a note on the table.

Great. Another note. I wonder how complicated my life is about to become. It's from Caesar, and it's a congratulatory note, thanking me for my excellent work in finding Forest, and his address. Also, it includes an apology for bugging our place. _Gee, thanks._ There's something attached to it that does make me smile, though.

At the bottom of the note is a small, folded slip of paper with Raven's name on it. Good. At least she's safe. Safer than before, that is. After seeing that, I feel much better about the whole thing, and even help her search the house.

After three hours, I've realized something. I really hate Caesar Flickerman. We've found twelve bugs, and Raven throws what appears to be the last one to me. I quickly deactivate it. With a hammer. Despite how annoyed I was earlier, I really hope someone is listening right now as I hit it a few times.

We're just finishing lunch when another note flies under our door. Yep. Hate him. Raven rolls her eyes and keeps eating. I go over, pick it up, and open the envelope. Ugh. It's even scented paper.

_My dear friend Marissa,_ it begins. Four words in and I'm already rolling my eyes. _Due to an unforeseen circumstance, Quinton Forest managed to escape the Capitol early this morning, taking a certain item of great value with him._ _My sources have informed me that Forest is now in District 4._ _I'm willing to pay you a substantial amount for the safe retrieval of the item. Transportation will be provided.  
Your friend, C.F._

_P.S. As an additional incentive for your cooperation, I have arranged for the cameras around your place of residence to be deactivated._

Well, what can I say? Caesar apparently knows how to get my attention. Plus, it sounds almost like a vacation compared to sitting through all of those videos. "What is it?" Raven asks, interrupting my thoughts.

I smile at her. "Pack your bags, Raven. We're going on a trip to District 4."


	6. Beach House

_ Sir,_

_ The unrest in District 4 is reaching dangerous levels. We must do something or there could be another rebellion within weeks. Already our spies are reporting plans to assassinate Peacekeeper leaders. This must be stopped. With District 8's recent uprising, we cannot allow another revolt. Requesting permission to oversee the construction of our newest barracks personally._

_ Albert Westfield, Head of Peacekeepers, Capitol Division_

Ah, District 4. Sun, sand, and surf. It's a lovely place, even after you take into account the gallows contructed right on the beach. It has the latest rebels against the Capitol hanging from them as a warning to anyone else with the same ideas, but despite all that, I almost want to dive into the water from the silenced hovercraft Caesar loaned us. I think someone would notice, though. Besides, I have to make a jump later tonight anyway.

Raven clicks her tongue impatiently at me. I turn away from the window, and suddenly I get the impression she's been trying to get my attention for a while. Too bad. She spent just as much time at the window yesterday, and she knows it. I smile at her innocently. She rolls her eyes and brings out a map. Not the paper kind I'm used to, but a hologram of the entire area. Caesar is sparing no expense for us to get Finnick's trident back, it seems.

"We're here." Raven touches a small building, and a green dot lights up. She pokes it a few times and it rises up several inches above the building. "Quinton Forest is here." she touches a much larger building, and it glows red. It's a mile up from where we are, and it's right on a cliff. I bet he has a great view. I sigh. Raven gives me a look. "Now, sometime in the past week, he managed to acquire at least one force-field projector. He's got a shield over that entire place." As she says that, she touches a few more spots, and I see a shimmer cover it. "Now, it's more or less a tight cover. Not like the arenas. As a result, it's a quite a bit stronger. Less susceptible to exploitation."

I nod. She looks over and smiles at me. "Now, here's the part I think you'll like." I perk up a bit.

"Oh? Why is that?" I'm trying to look less interested than I am, but Raven knows me pretty well. It doesn't work.

"A shield like that is going to have a heavy power drain. They're generally projected from somewhere else. A nearby building, for instance." I can get into a building with no problems. There must be something else.

"So, you think it's in one of the surrounding buildings? Which one?" I look at the map a little closer. Four buildings nearby. All relatively small. None of them look guarded or particularly secure from here. This shouldn't be too hard. "How do you deactivate it?"

Raven's walked over to a crate. It's been on the hovercraft since we left last week, but she didn't let me look inside before now. She's prying it open while she talks. "First of all, not it. Them. It's possible, even probable, that there's more than one projector hidden. Caesar's only certain of one, though." She pauses for a moment. "Anyway, there's two ways. The first one involves a long, complex shutdown code. Every projector has a unique code, and it could take hours guessing it." She throws all her weight onto the crowbar.

The top of the crate pops off. Raven gestures to me, and I come over and look at the contents. "The second method is a little less complicated." Yeah, I guess you could say that. The crate is filled with explosives of all kinds. Raven sees the look on my face. "Sound good?"

* * *

Late that night, things have already started to go wrong. There's suddenly a lot more Peacekeeper patrols in this area, and I actually had trouble making it into the first building undetected. To make things worse, the earpiece Raven is using to communicate with me is only working half the time. Something about this area is interfering with it, so now my eyes in the sky are out. I've got a lot of practice dodging Peacekeepers, but tonight it's more of a pain in the neck than usual.

At least the first building is abandoned. I find the projector, and my earpiece kicks in long enough for me to tell Raven I'm not dead. Of course, the job is far from over. I take one of the miniature charges off my belt and adjust the clock on it for noon tomorrow. Raven tells me that force-field projectors are very combustible, to say the least. This building isn't going to be standing tomorrow. Time to move on.

Second building isn't quite as abandoned. It's some sort of cold storage unit. Tons of crates marked CAPITOL are in there, ready to be shipped off the next day. I'd almost be curious what was in them, if the entire building didn't reek of fish. Nevertheless, I check around, find another projector behind some crates, pointing out a window. Great. Raven was right. There's more than one. Probably four, with my luck tonight. Peacekeepers patrolling everywhere. I have a dart gun to defend myself if necessary, but I'd rather not have to use it.

Unfortunately, I'm not destined for that tonight. I run across two sleeping guards in the third building. A dart to both of them ensures they stay that way. Of course, the earpiece had to start up again, and Raven heard me swear when I saw them. Now she knows they're in the building. Great. She's just starting her lecture on why District 4 civilians can't be casualties, and I roll my eyes. I don't know when I started listening to Raven's conscience, but after I find and rig the next projector, I spend the next forty minutes dragging them both outside to a safe area. I hope she's happy.

Fourth building is another cold storage unit. More crates. Suddenly I feel pretty lucky Raven and I don't care much for seafood, because I don't think the Capitol will have any for a while after tomorrow. Well, four buildings, four projectors. Four sets of explosives, rigged for noon tomorrow. I think my job is just about done for the night. I signal Raven from the top of a roof and start climbing the ladder she drops for me. I'm tired, but I keep picturing how it'll play out tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we're hoping the explosions will cause rioting from the citizens who now have nothing to lose, since they're going to be blamed for this anyway, thus providing a diversion. If that doesn't work, the plan is simple. Get in, grab the trident, get out as quickly as possible before the hovercraft is detected. I'll have about twenty minutes before they scan the skies. Better make it count.

* * *

Morning. 11:50, to be precise. The Peacekeepers are escorting the fisherman to their boats, lining them up in single file to give them their assignments for the day. None of them look happy. I guess having another small freedom taken away from them is taking its toll. I hear they used to be able to fish at their leisure, as long as the Capitol got a minimum amount of tasty fish shipped in every week. Now, everyone has a strict schedule, and a required daily quota.

11:55. The Peacekeepers are slow today. Only one boat has a crew so far. A red-faced old man is yelling obscenities, and it looks like everyone is tensing up. Everything's going according to plan so far. Raven's voice crackles in my ear, telling me to get ready to run.

11:58. 11:59. The second the lead Peacekeeper decides he's had enough and swings his rifle at the old man, the clock hits noon. I cover my ears. I can still hear the explosions, even from up the beach. I take off running and I'm at the door of Forest's mansion by 12:01. I don't have time to waste picking it, but fortunately, it's made of wood. It takes a few kicks, but it breaks pretty fast.

Inside, I draw my dart gun. The sounds of the mob attacking the Peacekeepers, the gunfire, the screams... All of them start fading away inside the house. Forest has got to know I'm here. Sure enough, two men are running at me down the stairs. I lose two darts before I hit the first one, and he drops like a rock. The other one goes down seconds later. Something about it seems far too easy, though. For one, they're both carrying swords. Only swords. No guns. It makes my job a lot simpler if I'm the only one with range, but something about this seems suspicious.

A chandelier falls, and I just barely dodge it. Forest, I bet. Probably has the place rigged. If he's anything like Caesar, I bet he's taping this. Capitol citizens always love a good show, after all. However... if there's traps in the building, wherever Finnick's trident is being kept will have a lot of them. I better go get my buddy Forest to show me the way to it. I bet he'll make it a lot easier to access if he's the one retrieving it for me.

Miniature land mines on the stairs. Spears in the walls. Spikes rising from the floor. Quinton Forest would've made a great Game Maker. I'd probably be dead already if not for the gadget Caesar let me borrow. Fabulously expensive. Extremely useful. It only works at close range, but it messes up video cameras. Covers them in static somehow. Too bad I don't know how it works. I'd build my own in a heartbeat. Only downside is that Forest has a general idea what room I'm in at any given moment.

However, even that downside isn't too much of a setback. He's got an itchy finger. Since he can't actually see me, he keeps setting off his traps before I actually go near them. Lucky break for me.

I'm wandering through the remains of what was once a kitchen, and suddenly I hear the crowd outside. I'm not sure if it's my earpiece for a minute, and Raven's not responding. Then it dawns on me.

Great. The rebels we just got to divert the Peacekeepers have decided to follow me in here. It occurs to me that they just might be helpful. Better they set off Forest's traps than me, as far as I'm concerned.

I hide in a closet for a while, listening to the sounds of them running past, the occasional explosion. Screams. Eventually all of those die down. Then there's the sound of a cheerful mob, which is never good. I guess the force-field surrounding the house marked good old Forest as a Capitol person, and right now I don't think they care if he's a Peacekeeper or a civilian. I peek out of a window after the noise gets far enough away, and I see them dragging him towards the gallows on the beach for some swift justice.

Raven's voice comes in, covered in static. From what I can gather, she's rearranging our escape plan. Ten minutes, window on the east side. I search as many rooms as I can, but Finnick's trident appears to have vanished.

Five minutes remaining. I decide to check two more rooms. First one has nothing. A quick glance through it shows that it's probably never been used by anyone. Dust everywhere. No one has hidden a trident here in the past week, that's for sure.

Second room has something different in it. Or someone. There's a girl in there, wandering around clutching her head, talking to herself. Every few seconds she'll stop, pace around, and mutter something about "Come back to me". She reaches behind an overturned couch and lifts up a very shiny silver object.

Finnick's trident, of course. When the mob appeared, I had a feeling someone else would beat me to it. Didn't think it'd be a lunatic, though. She turns around, and makes eye contact with me. Her eyes are green. Very green. We stare right at each other for what feels like ages. I've seen her before, but I don't know where. She clutches the trident like her life depends on it. Too bad. I think my life actually does depend on getting it back to Caesar intact.

I raise my dart gun, and she gets a look on her face. It's anger and sadness and determination, all at once. I pull the trigger. Nothing happens.

My dart gun is jammed, and I'm facing down a crazy girl with a weapon that's proved it's worth in combat several times. And since she's from here, I bet she knows how to use it. I'm standing there surprised for several seconds, and she doesn't ram the trident into my chest. Instead, all she does is stand there holding it. She's started murmuring Finnick's name over and over, and I don't know what to do.

Raven's voice snaps me out of my trance when she tells me we're almost out of time, and something about this girl is keeping me from simply attacking her for it. Something aside from that she has every advantage that I don't have at the moment. So I make a decision. It's a stupid decision fueled by instinct and gut feelings. Raven is going to be so proud, I can already tell.

I leave her in the building, and run as fast as I can to the east window. There's a ladder hanging outside, and I make a dive out the window for it, catching onto a rung with one hand, then the other. Both feet find a hold on it, and the hovercraft is flying away at top speed with me hanging off it.

I'm at the top few rungs of the ladder when two pairs of arms reach down and pull me up and inside. Uh-oh. I have a bad feeling about this.

Four men in uniform are flanking a woman with graying hair. The two that pulled me in join them. They aren't Peacekeepers, though. Raven is off to the side looking paler than I've ever seen her. The woman takes a sip of her tea. Smiles at me. Looks right into my eyes, and my insides feel like ice. Something is very wrong with this woman. The look on Raven's face tells me she feels the same way.

"Marissa Ellis. Alma Coin. And I think we're going to be working together very closely in the next few months."


End file.
